Aside from Stone Cold Steve Austin recklessly manning everything from a beer truck to Zamboni machine, monster truck and ATV, few pro wrestling fans would argue that The Undertaker has had the best entrances in World Wrestling Entertainment history.
Chilling, spooky, and downright demonic, The Phenom has had torch-wielding druids lead him out, literally emerged from hell via a burning casket and hovered over a crowd of raucous WWE fans with a bat-like entrance over the years. Part of what made Taker's entrances so enthralling was the fact that sometimes they came during his rebirth or returns to the WWE ... and that "Dead Man rises again" angle never seems to fail with fans.
With this Sunday, November 22, at Survivor Series marking The Undertaker's 25th anniversary in WWE, we decided to take a look at the Dead Man's best, most demonic entrances — not in chronological order — scattered over his 25 unprecedented years with the WWE.
Relive these entrances ... in Peace.
The Undertaker's Debut In The WWE
The setup was simple. The "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase touted a mystery guest on his Million Dollar Team back in the 1990 Survivor Series. When the time came to reveal that guest, DiBiase grabbed the mic and introduced none other than The Undertaker to the masses.
Previously, he had wrestled under the moniker Mean Mark Calloway for then-WWF rival World Championship Wrestling. But this character seemed to strike a chord immediately with wrestling's most-faithful fans, who were blown away by the 6-10 size of the man, not to mention his ghastly look and urn-carrying manager Paul Bearer.
The lights went out and the Taker made his very first entrance before a pro-wrestling crowd, wearing a trench coat, extra-wide tie and peep the purple makeup under his eyes to add effect. Pretty morbid. The first wrestler that The Undertaker ever got in the ring with? None other than Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart. The late Gorilla Monsoon also dubbed The Undertaker's finisher the "Tombstone," as the Dead Man buried his first of many victims in Koko B. Ware.
Consider this the first of many entrances to come over the years.
Undertaker's WrestleMania XX Entrance
The Undertaker has had some cinematic entrances over the course of his legendary 25-year career, but none captured that gothic, old west feel better than the Dead Man rising again at WrestleMania XX live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
That was the scene of The Phenom not only rising from the dead ... but dragging company with him. An all-too familiar "Ohhhh Yeeeesss" blared over the loud speaker and Paul Bearer, with urn in hand, appeared first with druids wielding lit torches of flames following. The druids held their torches in a triangle formation, as The Undertaker solemnly walked under them to face his equally-demonic brother Kane. This might have been Taker's longest entrance ever.
In a word ... chilling.
The Undertaker Emerges From A Burning Casket
The look on a young Randy Orton's face said it all, when the lights cut out and a giant lightning bolt hit a casket on the top of the ramp during the 2005 Survivor Series. Way to go, WWE pyro. The Undertaker stepped out of the burning casket in one of the more menacing Phenom entrances that you'll ever see. It really looked like Taker was walking out of hell ... and enjoying it.
Orton sold the entrance with the shock that came over his face — not to mention his dad, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, who also received the brunt of The Undertaker's return. It's always hell to pay, when The Undertaker returns.
The Undertaker Walks Into Hell At WrestleMania 28
If there's any WWE Superstar equipped to walk into hell, it's The Undertaker. The Dead Man, with his spike-embedded leather trench coat and hood pulled over his eyes, slowly walked through the smoke and down the ramp to introduce Triple H to the depths below during a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 28.
This is one of The Undertaker's most spectacular entrances of all time.
Undertaker Enters With Live Vulture At WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX at Caesar's Palace in Nevada pitted The Undertaker against a bigger foe, the Giant Gonzalez.
To put death in the air — literally — The Undertaker appeared, carrying a live vulture perched. The scavenger turned out to be a premonition of what's to come, as the Phenom wound up getting the win over Gonzalez.
Dark, dreary entrance — and one of the Taker's most classic.
The Undertaker's Bat-Like Descent At Survivor Series 1996
To signal the early end for Mankind in the 1996 Survivor Series, The Undertaker appeared to the WWE Universe with a bat-like descent, hovering over the Madison Square Garden, New York City crowd, before touching down and proceeding to open up an immense world of pain to his opponent.
This bat-like descent was never duplicated by The Undertaker again. Pretty awesome.
The Undertaker's Hearse Entrance
The Dead Man didn't need to walk down the ramp at the 1992 Summer Slam pay-per-view event. To enter the ring and face Kamala, his opponent on the card, The Undertaker rolled down the ramp in a hearse. Grim ... and once again, an ominous signal of what awaited the Ugandan Giant.
The Undertaker's Cold, Spooky WrestleMania 23 Entrance
Anybody feel chilly in here? The Undertaker's cold, spooky entrance at WrestleMania 23 was one of his best of all time. Fire shot from the ramp as the Dead Man carved his path with eerie precision to the ring to face — and bury — Batista. It doesn't get much better — not to mention, demonic — than this.
Taker vs. Taker At Summerslam 1994
In one corner, it's The Undertaker. In the other, it's The Undertaker, bought and manufactured by the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. To summons the real Dead Man, Paul Bearer carried a giant urn to the ring, opened it and out shined a beaming bright white light.
With the light illuminating the pitch-black arena, the actual Undertaker appeared to bury his impersonator, sending him to eternal hell. The light might be a little cheesy now when you look back on it, but for the 1994 SummerSlam, it was pretty cool ... and maybe even ahead of its time.
The American Badass Undertaker Makes His Debut At Judgment Day 2000
It was May of 2000, when the WWE decided to give The Undertaker's character a twist. Gone was Dead Man, morbid theme and out came the motorcycle-revving American Badass Undertaker. Sporting a leather coat that a biker would wear, black sunglasses and a bandanna, Taker proceeded to dismantle Degeneration-X in the worse way possible.
Not as demonic an entrance as many of the past, but still effective and pretty menacing in its own right.
The Ministry Of Darkness Entrance At WrestleMania XV
Hardcore WWE fans will remember The Undertaker spearheading his Ministry of Darkness stable back in the day. This arguably was the height of Taker's demonic, ominous feel. As the leader of the crew, he was both a heel and face ... although given the storylines, it was better when he was a heel in this role. Downright demonic.
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